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Ailing Steeler LB Shazier has no plans to retire

By The Sports Xchange
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier celebrates after a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals in October. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier celebrates after a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals in October. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has no desire to retire.

Shazier made that intention quite clear during his first press conference on Wednesday since sustaining an injury that left him temporarily paralyzed and in need of spinal stabilization surgery in December.

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"My dream is to come back and play football again," the 25-year-old Shazier told reporters. "I've been working my tail off every single day, so I have that in the back of my mind every single time I go to rehab. I just try to stay positive every day, so I'm just trying to do everything I can to get back."

Shazier walked to the podium with a cane and immediately thanked those who supported him after he suffered his injury during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in December.

"One of the things I'm looking forward to doing is I just want to be able to start walking a little bit more by myself without using a cane," Shazier said. "And if that's camp, I'm happy for it. If it's the regular season, I'll be happy for it."

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The Steelers placed Shazier on the reserve/physically unable to perform list but converted $8.26 million of his $8.718 million base salary for 2018 into a signing bonus last month.

Shazier provided one of the more emotional moments during the opening night of 2018 NFL Draft when he walked across the stage holding the hand of fiancee Michelle Rodriguez to announce the Steelers' first-round pick of Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds.

Shazier has recorded 299 tackles, seven sacks, seven interceptions, 25 passes defensed and seven forced fumbles in 46 career games since being selected by Pittsburgh with the 15th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

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